Card-index.



J. H. RAND, In.

CARD INDEX.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-4.19m:

l Patented June 4, 1918.

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CARD-INDEX.

Application filed October 4, 1915.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that 1, JAMES H. RAND, J r., a citizen of the United States, and resident of North Tonawanda, in the county of Niagara and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Card-Indexes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a card index system of the kind described in an application filed by me jointly with James H. Rand April 8, 1914, Serial No. 830,508, wherein there is described a card system of the overlapping card type, in which a series of cardholders or card supports are removably mounted in a frame, and a series of cards are removably held by the card-holders in such manner that they may be removed from their respective card-holders and supports without removing the latter from the frame, thus reserving the spacebelonging to any card when it is removed, and visually indicating its absence from the series.

The present invention consists in a novel form of card index structure 'embod ing such general idea, as hereinhfter more ully described and particularly pointed out in the claims. a

In the accompanying drawings in which one embodiment of the nvention is shown,-

Figure 1 is a face view, partly broken away, of a card support and card contain- I ing the invention;

Fig. 2 is a face view of the card-support and spacer alone; 7

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the card-support and hinge member shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail, showing one end of said support in perspective;

gig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1; an

Fig. 6 is a face view, partly in section, of a fragment of the assembled card index system.

Throughout the specification and claims the word card is used to denote any sheet of any suitable material,

The several card-supports are mounted in a suitable frame A (Fig. 6) of usualcon- J struction, having inturned guide flanges a to form opposed channels which engage and retain the ends of the card-supports.[

Each card-support, as herein shown, consists of a strip or bar of resilient metal, EB, bent up at its ends to form heads 6 which fit under the guide flanges a of the fi'ame.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.iiormed by Patented June rare.

Serial no. asset.

Said supports are adjustabie and interchangeable in the frame and may be re moved therefrom by springing their centrai portions outward and thus withdrawing their ends from the channels of the frame. The inner face or shoulder i) of each head, which projects forward from the body of the strip B, is provided with a socket or hole 6 preferably extending a short distance into the body oi the strip B as best shown in Figs. 2 and d.

Each card 0 's removably supported by and hinged to its card-support B by means of a resilient rod 0, extending through a fold or loop 0 of the card, or otherwise se cured to its edge, and projecting beyond the lateral edges of the card to form a pair of trunnions or hinge members to engage the sockets b, which constitute a complementary pair of hinge members on the card-support B. Said trunnions instead of being the ends of a single rod 0 might be in the form of two separate rods or pins secured at either side of the card, or the hinge members mi ht be merely reversed, and the rods or pins e secured to the heads I) of the bar to project inwardly into the end of loop 0 the fold of the card.

' Said hinge members may be disconnected and the card removed from its support without removing the latter, by bending or springing the card and rod 0 forward away from the frame, whereupon the rods will be withdrawn from their sockets.

Said cards are thus hinged so that they may be swung upward on theirhinges as indicated by the upper card C in Fig. 6, for the purpose of inspecting or writingon the cards, and any card may be easily and card in the series, which is uncovered whenthe overlying card is removed from the se ries and constitutes a conspicuous visual indica'tion that a card is missing from the space where the signal appears. Such si nals are placed directly on the removab e cards themselves, and may consist of a sign,

symbol, or any suitable mark, preferably in a conspicuous or contrasting color. signal is shown in Fig. 6, by way of iilua tration, as a coioredarea S, contrasting with The the color of the card, and. hearing if desired the Words Card out The signal S on each card is normally concealed behind the exposed marginal portion of the next adjacent overlying card, but when any card is removed, its absence will be visually'indicated by the exposure of the underlying signal. Thus in Fig, 6 it will be noted that the card is missing from the card-support- Iie ing member B immediately below the top (2' C. down lower edge will occupy the posilion shown at dotted line is, thus leaving ed the signal S on the next card un- 11, showing that card belonging in the intervening space is out. Similarly the absence of card is shown at'the bottom T as in a card index system, a frame having guides, a series of card-supporting and spacmembers, each remcvably mounted in th! having laterally enlarged parts located in said guides whereby said 25 members are prevented "from. movement past each other in the guides, nd a series of cards havii hinge connect ions With said members, said cards being removable from their respective supporting nd spacing 30 members Without removing the latter from the frame,

:2. In a card index system, a frame having guides, er

es of carresnpporting and spacing members, each comprisinga bar of re 35 silient material removably mounted in the frame and having laterally enlarged end arts located said i'iidesvvhereb said. A z:

i'nembers are prevented from movement past each other in the guides, and a series 455 of cards having hinge connections with said members, said cards being'removable from their respective supporting and spacing bars with-out removingtbe latter from the frame.

3. The combination of a frame having guides, a series of cardsupporting and spacing members, each comprising a thin bar removably n'iounted in the frame and having laterally bent ends forming enlarged end parts located in said guides, and a seg ries oi. cards having hinge connections with said parts, said cards being removable from their respective supporting and spacing bars without removing the latter from the frame.

5 4, In a card index system, a frame, a se ries of cardeupporting and spacing membears, each comprising a -ar having a hinge socket at each end, and a series of cards o d/hen the top card 0 1S swung r ea-see beyond its sides detachablyengaging sai sockets, said cards being removable from their respective supporting and spacing each having a pair of trunnions projecting ill ' bars.-

' bars.

6. In a card system, a frame having in Wardly facing guide channels, a series of 75 card-supporting and spacing members, each comprising a bar having forwardly projecting beans at its ends engaging said guide channels, each head having a hinge memher, and a series of cards each having a pair so of complementary hinge members removably engaging the hinge members of the bar.

In a card system, a card-supportin and spacing member comprising a bar, and a forwardly projecting head at each end of 35' the bar, said heads having hinge members.

8. In a card system,-a card-supporting and spacing member comprisin a bar of resilient material, and a forwar .ly projecting head at each end of the bar, said beads so having hinge members.

9. In a card system, a card-supporting and spacing bar having each end bent to form a head and an inwardly facing shoulder, and each shoulder having ahinge socket as therein. i I

10. A card system, comprising a series of card-supportin and spacing members, and a series of car s held by said card-supporting and spacingmembers, and removable mo therefrom, said card-supporting and spacing members being adapted to support the cards one in front of another with their edges exposed, and a. signal .on each remov- I ab e card normally concealed behind the ex- 1105 posed portion of the next adjacent overlyingcard, whereby the absence of any card from its place Wlll'bB visually indicated by the exposure of the'underlying signal.

Signed by me at North lonavvaurida, this ts 20th day of September 1915.

JAMES H. Brim, n.

Witnesses I LAwRENceH. GEsER, F. W. MUNDIE. 

